Desvenlafaxine 50 mg versus placebo in treating moderate to severe major depression: combined results from six studies

Desvenlafaxine 50 mg/day significantly improved depressive symptoms in 2189 patients with moderate or severe major depressive disorder compared to placebo.

• Patients receiving desvenlafaxine showed greater improvement in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D17) scores at week 8 compared to those on placebo.
• The adjusted mean HAM-D17 score change for desvenlafaxine was -10.26 for moderate depression and -11.91 for severe depression, both significantly better than placebo.
• Response and remission rates were significantly higher for patients treated with desvenlafaxine than for those receiving placebo, with all P-values ≤ 0.029.
• The efficacy of desvenlafaxine was consistent regardless of baseline severity, as indicated by other rating scales.

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